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Seeing Is Believing

When our teens see their peers just ahead of them in college, they start believing it’s possible for them.

Makari is an amazing young man.

He’s full of life. It energizes everyone and everything around him. You can’t help but smile and feel good when you talk with Makari.

Like all of our kids, Makari is unique, and we love his charm, his heart, and his desire for adventure.

But, for Makari, there was one adventure that didn’t seem possible to him. College. No one else in his family had ever gone … why should he expect to break that cycle?

Why college trips? Because education is the key ...

Most of the kids at A Place Called Home don’t get to experience the big wide world outside of South Central L.A. But, it’s not for lack of curiosity or aspiration.

Boys and girls in the 90011 and surrounding zip codes face an uphill battle. Without A Place Called Home, many wouldn’t have the support and encouragement they need to pursue their aspirations ... like a college degree.

We know that education is a ladder to economic health and success, and for every young person that crosses our threshold, there is a pathway to college or a good job.

For our college-bound kids, there is tutoring, homework assistance, ACT practice testing, and tours to up to 20 colleges and universities every year. The most memorable set of tours occurs on a four-day trip up the coast to San Francisco for a dozen of our high school students, with stops at up to seven schools along the way. What’s really cool is that at several of the colleges, the students are greeted by APCH college scholars who lead the tours! The message to the high school students is clear: “this is for you.” Makari went on one of our recent trips ...

Makari started to believe

Olivia, our College Pathways Coordinator, shares, “Makari was a sophomore when we went on our trip. And, while he seemed interested, he wasn’t really excited at first. He didn’t think college was a real possibility for him.”

This is the challenge and opportunity we face every day at A Place Called Home. Helping our youth see beyond their circumstances to recognize their immense potential. While some are quick to dismiss our kids, we know how brilliant they are, and once they embrace their worth and value, there is just no stopping them!

Something in Makari changed on that trip. He took every opportunity to talk with our guides and scholars — learning more about college life. It was as if he was trying to imagine his future on a college campus.

“There was a total change in Makari,” Olivia continues. “Seeing him at the beginning and then when the trip was over ... there was a big difference. He was inspired, and started to believe he could go to college. It was amazing.”

The world gets better when our kids see what’s possible for them

Our college trips change the horizon for our kids. They are exposed to new surroundings, new people, new opportunities, and they know that APCH will support them in doing the diligence to make sound choices about their future.

For some, like Makari, that future includes college. For others, it’s different. But the goal is the same: to help young people prepare for a successful, healthy life ahead … one in which they will make the world a better place for all of us.